Over the past few decades, people, and society generally, have become more dependent on advanced modes of transportation. One of the more significant developments, particularly in the last thirty years have been "off-road" vehicles, particularly of the snowmobile and "all terrain" variety.
With the increased participation of people in outdoor winter sports such as snowmobiling, snowshoeing and cross country as well as downhill skiing, the need of equipment specifically for rescue and providing equipment related thereto, has significantly increased. The incidences of accidents and illnesses in areas not accessible to conventional vehicles has also increased.
The snowmobile has provided and continues to provide increased flexibility in the movement of people during winter months, both in recreational pursuits as well as in areas of employment related to forestry, timber cutting and trapping. However the unpredictability of the weather generally and in particular, devastating snowstorms in areas not previously known to be hard hit, has heightened concern for emergency rescue means which are capable of providing patient rescue and transport from places of work or residences when such people cannot be reached or transported by more conventional modes of transportation.
Snowmobile sleighs have been provided in the past for recreational purposes but they are not suited to or adequate in providing facilities for the rescue and transportation of a seriously injured or sick person. Although rescue sleighs have been proposed for towing with a snowmobile, they have not been of a design and structure where constant surveillance of a patient is available and may be maintained, the patient is readily accessible at all times, treatment may be administered in transport and a significant amount of rescue and treatment equipment may be carried.